


Playing Hero in the Marketplace

by ReneeoftheStars



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Language Barrier, epha wants to help, not everyone can speak basic, there's so many languages in the galaxy, war is not for everyone, you'd have to be a protocol droid to know them all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 11:25:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15095729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReneeoftheStars/pseuds/ReneeoftheStars
Summary: Just an average day in the marketplace turns dangerous as Separatist and Republic soldiers show up in the same space - except the clones don't realize there are any enemies nearby. Watching from their singfruit stand, Rwoa wants to leave before anything bad happens, and Epha wants to warn the troopers. The only problem is: how can she warn them when they don't speak the same language?





	Playing Hero in the Marketplace

**Author's Note:**

> Written, as per usual, for finish-the-clone-wars' writing wednesday prompt: Language barrier

[Do you think they know?]

[If they did, don’t you think they’d be a little more alert?]

Epha and her wife, Rwoa, stared hard at the three Republic troopers meandering through the market. They went from stall to stall, curiously inspecting the wares of the various species. Occasionally, one of them would pull out some credits and buy something.

Rwoa’s prehensile tail waved agitatedly, her amber eyes darting towards the cloth-draped stall at the end of the lane. [We’re closing down. Someone’s going to start shooting, and I don’t want us anywhere near here.]

[We should warn them,] Epha argued, filling one of the display totes with new singfruits. Not that she was hoping to sell many more. Most of the other vendors were getting antsy, and the atmosphere was starting to affect the customers. Several pairs of eyes were glancing towards the mysterious stall – more of a tent, really – that had been erected in the middle of the night. No one had gone to investigate it; the only movement they had glimpsed so far had been a pair hard-looking Devaronians with blasters entering the tent, the Separatist symbol emblazoned on their chestplates. That in itself was concerning, as this was – for all intents and purposes – a neutral world. But now that there were Republic soldiers here too…

[Warn them?] Rwoa’s voice rose sharply. She brought it down quickly, practically whispering as she went on. [If we help them, we run the risk of getting on the Separatists’ bad side. The Republic won’t blast us to bits, but those twin-horns will.]

[We don’t _know_ it’s Separatists. Those Devaronians might be….] Epha hesitated. [Body guards,] she finished lamely. Judging by the raised eyebrow of her wife, she didn’t believe her. [And so what if it is? The Separatists are evil. It’s our duty to help the Republic.] In her mind’s eye, she saw herself warn the soldiers, saw the crazy-eyed Separatists lurch out of the gloom, saw herself snatch up a blaster and put smoking holes straight through the skulls of the enemy, was congratulated by the grateful troopers she had saved –

[Do you even know what the war is about?]

Epha blinked out of her reverie, her tail twitching excitedly. She opened her mouth – then closed it. [No,] she admitted.

[Neither do I. So we shouldn’t deal with soldiers – no matter which side they’re on.]

[Well, we’ll have to deal with them soon. They’re making their way towards us.]

Rwoa fell silent. Epha looked away from her wife, watching the troopers walking closer. They were five stalls away now, admiring some trinkets a Bothan was selling. They didn’t seem to realize anything was amiss.

She felt fingers entwine with hers. Rwoa’s voice was urgent in her ear. [I saw something move in the last stall.]

With a sinking feeling in her stomachs, Epha glanced as casually as she could towards the unknown tent. Sure enough, the flaps moved like something was shifting around inside. [It might be nothing,] she said uneasily. But if there were Separatists inside…if they were going to fire at the Republic troopers…their little singfruit stand was directly in their line of fire. Epha thought she was fast; if a firefight broke out, she would pull Rwoa out of harm’s way, shielding her and devising a clever way to get her to safety–

Rwoa was shaking. Her wife was scared, and that fact pulled Epha out of her musings. Still grasping her hand, Epha brought it to her lips and kissed it. [It’ll be okay.]

[What do we do?]

The troopers were three stalls away.

Epha thought quickly, fighting hard to keep her daydreams from encroaching on her thoughts. The urgency hadn’t hit her yet; it felt like a story, a game, where she had to figure out the right move. [Take some of the crates, like we’re wrapping up for the day. Get the speederbike ready. I’ll be there soon.]

Her wife’s grip was suddenly vicelike. [I’m not leaving you, Ephalie.]

[I’ll be fine,] Epha said confidently. [I’ll sell them the fruit, warn them, and get to the speeder before they start shooting.]

Rwoa stared at her, a strangely mixed look of anger, fear, and exasperation on her face. [Why do you always want to play the hero?]

Epha couldn’t tell if Rwoa was expecting a response, so instead she just kissed her. [Go. I’m right behind you.]

Rwoa hesitated another moment, then went to work stacking crates.

“Whoa, wait – you’re not packing up already, are ya?”

One of the soldiers had appeared in front of their stall. He picked up a singfruit and turned it over in one gauntleted hand, his helmet under his arm. Epha saw that he was a human. His shaved head bore a myriad of tattoos, but she didn’t want to stare and seem rude.

“[Very sorry, sir. A personal matter came up.] Epha said, nodding. Rwoa shot her a look of concern as the trooper spoke – she didn’t understand Basic. Epha clasped her hands behind her back, gesturing as subtly as she could that Rwoa should keep going.

“Hey, Whiplash! Scout! You boys better get over here if you want any singfruit,” the trooper called over his shoulder to his two compatriots.

Epha had to concentrate very hard to understand him. Basic had been difficult to for her to grasp; even though she now understood most words, she still couldn’t speak it. The sounds of Basic were so round and low, spoken in the back of the throat; a stark contrast to the quick, chittering, lyrical language of Rynese. Behind her, she heard Rwoa pushing the cart quickly away, towards the speeder they had two alleys over.

The other two soldiers came over. Like the first one, purple markings streaked across their white armor. Were they badges of honor? Rank designations? Simple decoration? Epha had no idea. Their helmets were carried in the crook of their arm, and this time she couldn’t help but stare. Though one had silver hair and the other had close-cropped black with some scruff on his chin, they were identical to the other human before her. _So, the story about them being clones is true._

“You’re a Ryn, right?” the newcomer with silver hair asked. His voice sounded almost indistinguishable to the first. To think that there were millions more exactly like them…

[I am,] she said, inclining her head.

“Never met your kind before,” the silver-haired one went on, inspecting a fruit himself.

“Whiplash –” the other newcomer said.

“That _was_ polite, Scout.”

[I’m not offended, sirs,] Epha said easily. [My people tend to keep to ourselves – I’m not surprised you’ve never met one of us.]

Three identical sets of eyes blinked at her. “Ah,” the one with tattoos said, “sorry, we don’t speak…whatever it is you’re speaking.”

Epha stared at them, mind flailing. They didn’t speak Rynese? But they responded! But even as she thought it, she realized that she had nodded an affirmative to their questions – a universal gesture if there ever was one.  

As the clone soldiers began picking through her fruit to find the choice pieces, she felt frozen. How could she possibly warn them about the Devaronians now? Rwoa would say that it was for the best – that she should sell them what they wanted and then get out of there as quickly as possible. But Epha _wanted_ to warn them. Not because she wanted to be a hero – well, not _really_. But it wasn’t fair that they should get blasted without some sort of warning. No one deserved that.

Now what in the galaxy was the Basic word for Separatists? She had learned it when the war first started…and then promptly forgot it.

 “Hold on there, Belt, how many of those things are you going to get?” Whiplash laughed.

The one with tattoos grinned, having already placed five singfruit in his satchel and reaching for another. “Jolt and Riggs asked me to bring them something good. And I owe Boor for that pazaak game last week.”

“And the rest?”

“For me. Blasting Seppies all day takes a lot out of ya. Need something sweet to lift your spirits.”

“That’s how you reward yourself?” Whiplash scoffed. “Get some quality caf, or a holobook.”

“I’ve had the same holobook on my datapad for the last two months and haven’t looked at it once. ‘Sides, I like these,” Belt replied mildly.

She leaned forward, trying to look serious and concerned. [Sirs…]

“Oh don’t you worry,” the one called Scout said cheerfully to her. “We’re gonna pay for whatever we get. We’ve no interest in robbing you.”

Well that was…reassuring. But not what she’d wanted to convey. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the front flap of the far-off tent move again. Was it the wind? Did it matter?

She was running out of time. The clones were organizing their credit chips. They’d be leaving her stall any moment, and then she wouldn’t be able to help them.

Epha ran through her lessons again. There had been some trick phrase she’d used to remember the Basic for _Separatist_ …what was it? The Separatists…separated! Translating quickly in her head, the Basic for _separated_ came to her, and with it, a similar word to identify the group. She opened her mouth to say it – and her mouth wouldn’t cooperate. Epha bit her lip. It was such a long word, with so many clashing letters – she could never hope to say the whole thing.

She thought hard about the Basic word. Was there a way she could shorten it and still maintain the meaning? She’d never heard of an abbreviated version –

Wait. The clones. They had said something, hadn’t they? About blasting – something. The only ones they were blasting would be Separatists, wouldn’t it? What word had they used?

 _Seppies_.

Belt held out a handful of credits. “Keep the change.”

Epha reached out and clasped his large hand in hers. He tried to release the money, but she kept holding on. He frowned and stared down at her. “Ma’am. Please let go.”

“Sss –” How in the world was she supposed to make her vocal chords do this? “Saapaa…”

“Ma’am?”

Epha made a noise of frustration and leaned towards him. In her periphery, she saw Scout rest a hand on his blaster. Suddenly, this seemed like a very bad idea. She swallowed a lump in her throat and tried again, her mouth working to shape the unfamiliar letters.

“Sa – s’ap – sep. Pieyis. Sep-yiei. S–”

“Seppies?” Whiplash said suddenly, stepping closer.

Relieved, she nodded emphatically.

“Separatists?” Scout interjected, his voice low and demanding. “Here?”

Again, she nodded.

The three clones exchanged a glance, their easy smiles gone and replaced by a stern expression that made her nervous.

“Where?” Belt asked.

Epha realized she was still clutching his hand and released him; the credit chips fell onto the stall’s counter, and she swept them into her cash purse. She didn’t dare openly point to the tent. She glanced back up; they towered over her, staring down grimly. She opened her mouth, realized she didn’t know the Basic words she needed, and pressed her lips together in irritation.

Scout didn’t miss a beat. “Are they on the planet?’

She nodded. _Yes._

“Are they in this city?”

_Yes._

“In the market?”

_Yes._

“Karabast,” Whiplash grumbled. “Where exactly?”

With a sudden laugh that startled Epha, Belt turned and lounged against her stall. His head lolled from side to side as he stretched and relaxed.

“Everyone seems to be avoiding that last stall to the east,” he said casually, watching a pair of peddlers in the opposite direction.

“Any weapons?” Scout muttered, rummaging absently through one of the singfruit crates.

“Pretty sure I saw a blaster, but nothing obvious.”

“Alright. Keep your blasters primed, and be ready. But don’t instigate anything.” With a smile that radiated fake cheerfulness, Scout gave her a casual wave, tossing his fruit into a bag. “Thanks, ma’am,” he said at a normal volume. “Much appreciated.”

[Come back soon!] she called, her voice sounding shrill in her own ears. The three strolled down to the next stand, still apparently casual. But Epha saw the way their eyes now darted around, anticipating attack.

As nonchalantly as she could, she loaded up the last few crates of her singfruit onto the cart. If she rushed, it might look suspicious to whoever was watching from the tent.

An uneasy thought came to her, and she felt foolish. Maybe this was all in her head, and she made up a dire situation for some excitement. It wouldn’t be the first time.

No. No, she wouldn’t imagine something like this. Not when there was a chance it would endanger Rwoa. And besides, her wife had seen it too.

Epha closed up her stall and glanced at the troopers again. They were further down the lane now, and even though they still seemed casual, she was willing to bet they had some plan in mind. The last of the singfruit loaded, she began pushing the cart away from the market.

Suddenly, several figures burst out of the far tent, green blasterfire roaring into the marketplace. Epha dropped to the ground as vendors and customers screamed around her. She heard the Republic troopers shouting to one another, and when she peaked around the corner of the stall, she saw they had dove to cover and were returning fire.

Something hissed by her head. She stared in horror as a smoking hole appeared in the wood of the stall just a foot away. Her body shook, all thoughts consumed by a long whine of fear, whiting out everything else. She couldn’t see clearly, couldn’t focus on any one thing. The air was thick with smoke and screams, and she felt a sudden dread seize her, that if she didn’t leave now, she never would. Epha lurched to her feet, hunching over as she raced away from the lane, stray bolts chasing after her. She rounded the corner of the closest building, ready to sprint –

And was almost hit by a speederbike.

Epha slipped and crashed to the ground just as the bike jerked to a halt, and suddenly Rwoa was there, yelling in her ear to move, move, come on. Somehow, Epha found herself on the back of their speederbike, clutching Rwoa’s midsection as her wife kicked the bike into motion and they sped away.

As Rwoa navigated the city’s alleys and lanes, Epha felt her blinding panic fade into numbness. The electric whine of the bike and the rushing wind filled all her headspace so that she had no room to think. Eventually, the bike eased to a stop, and Epha found herself outside their apartment.

Rwoa cut power to the bike, then shifted in the seat so she was facing Epha.

Still feeling numb, Epha managed to say, [I left the other crates behind. We’ll have to take the hit from the profits margin.]

A strange look crossed Rwoa’s face, and the next moment, she threw her arms around Epha and pulled her close. Epha buried her face in the crook of her wife’s neck, breathing in her scent. Her head cleared a little bit.

Rwoa kissed her; she was trembling. Or maybe it was Epha.

[Don’t do that again,] Rwoa whispered, holding her tightly. [Let the soldiers fight – it’s their job. Do you really want to hold a blaster? Do you really want to shoot and kill someone? Do you want to always be in danger of getting shot?]

[…No.]

[Ephalie, I don’t want to lose you. Please…don’t involve us.] 

[I won’t. I’m sorry, Ro.]

Rwoa pulled back, cupping Epha’s cheek in her hand. [Were you able to warn the troopers?]

[Yes.] She hesitated. [I think it helped. They may have been fine without me,] she admitted. [But I think it gave them time to prepare.]

[Good. Do you think that’s enough excitement for a while?]

Epha’s brain was still sluggish. But remembering the fear that had gripped her… [For a lifetime, I think.]

Rwoa smiled. [Let’s get you some rest.]


End file.
